It’s late at night, and a stranger walking down an alley sees your family dog sleeping on the porch inside your fenced yard. The stranger softly calls the dog over and begins to pet him. While checking to see if anyone is watching, he opens the gate, clips a leash to your dog’s collar and leads him away, never to be seen again. The next morning, your family is distraught; when a neighbor’s video surveillance reveals that your dog was stolen, you feel deeply violated.
While the emotions described are implied, the circumstances are not: Reports suggest that dog thefts are on the rise in the U.S..
